Jolting, revolting

Published: January 6, 2005 12:00AM

Although Utah was a big favorite heading into last Saturday's Fiesta Bowl college football matchup against Pittsburgh, some Utes' fans were still shocked after their team's 35-7 victory over Pittsburgh.
Literally.
According to a report from the Salt Lake Tribune, dozens of people attempting to storm the Arizona State University field after the game were hit with a 50,000-volt electric jolt from police officers. An ASU police spokesman told the news-paper utilizing electronic incapacitators was in line with department policy, which permits their use during physical altercations, but conceded only two people were arrested for scuffling with officers.
One of those zapped, a high-school student, said he and others around him were not acting violently. Could authorities have been flagged for unnecessary roughness? Without further review, we don't have indisputable evidence to make that call.
In another story of rowdiness, this one from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and of a more serious nature, police are deciding whether to file charges against the father of a 16-year-old boy who held an unsupervised New Year's Eve party in Pleasant Hills, Pa.
The Post-Gazette reported guns were fired in the street and more than three dozen teenagers and young adults (ages 13 to 22) were arrested and charged with underage drinking or disorderly conduct.
Apparently police are trying to determine whether the absent father knew his son was planning the bash when he chose to spend the night at a nearby hotel.
"You don't go off and leave your 16-year-old son at home on New Year's Eve," the town's police chief was quoted as saying.
You wouldn't think further review would be necessary in this case. At the least, he's guilty of gross stupidity.